Absoltastic
Pokemon Video Maker
As most of us know, in the Resort Area on Platinum, one can capture Magikarps ranging from level 1 to 100 with the super rod, the level 100 being the "ruler of the place" referred to by the swimmer in the pool there. Although there is a 100% chance of encountering Magikarp, looking at the raw encounter data shows that it is A LOT harder to capture one of these things than it appears.
One would assume that there is a 1/100 chance of capturing this "legendary" creature, but due to the way that fishing works in the game mechanics, the odds are MUCH smaller. Let's look at the technicalities.
Fishing operates on a slot system, each location having five encounter slots. These slots determine the Pokemon that one can encounter, the probability of encounter, and the level range of the Pokemon. This is where it gets interesting. Magikarp does fill all five slots, but each slot has a different level range, and each slot does not have the same probability for encounter.
In the resort area, there is:
A 40% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 40-60
A 40% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 30-70
A 15% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 20-80
A 4% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 10-90
A 1% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 1-100
Therefore, there is one has to go through 2 1/100 chances to encounter the Magikarp, one to get the right level slot that includes the level 100 Magikarp, and one to get the right level at that slot, making the probability of encountering a level 100 (or anything from 1-9 and 91-100 for that matter) 1/10,000!!!! This is tougher to find than a shiny Pokemon!!!!!!!
However, there IS a way to catch the elusive, useless except for bragging rights, Level 100 Magikarp with much better odds (1/200), and accomplishing this task is as easy as ordering your party Pokemon.
The abilities Pressure, Hustle, and Vital Spirit work in an interesting way to try and encounter the highest level Pokemon possible. In the grass, it has a 50% chance of encountering the highest level of the Pokemon to be encountered, and in fishing, it has a 50% chance of encountering the highest leveled Pokemon in the level range in the chosen slot. Thus, by leading with a Pokemon with one of these abilities (and believe me, you probably have one, and LEVEL DOESN'T MATTER), you only have to get the first 1/100 chance; then you have a 50/50 shot at the level 100 Magikarp.
Thanks to these abilities, this makes Magikarp from level 1-9 and 91-99 arguably more valuable than the level 100, but the wild level 100 Magikarp is the ruler of the place, right?!
I managed to capture one in about an hour by leading my team with an Absol, and I do have video proof and a video explanation on my channel (shameless self plug =P) Unfortunately, the Magikarp does not merit you any reward when you talk to the swimmer; his dialogue does not change, but you get bragging rights, right?
So happy fishing! Post your findings, any questions, and if I got anything wrong, please correct me!
One would assume that there is a 1/100 chance of capturing this "legendary" creature, but due to the way that fishing works in the game mechanics, the odds are MUCH smaller. Let's look at the technicalities.
Fishing operates on a slot system, each location having five encounter slots. These slots determine the Pokemon that one can encounter, the probability of encounter, and the level range of the Pokemon. This is where it gets interesting. Magikarp does fill all five slots, but each slot has a different level range, and each slot does not have the same probability for encounter.
In the resort area, there is:
A 40% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 40-60
A 40% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 30-70
A 15% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 20-80
A 4% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 10-90
A 1% chance of encountering a Magikarp with the level range 1-100
Therefore, there is one has to go through 2 1/100 chances to encounter the Magikarp, one to get the right level slot that includes the level 100 Magikarp, and one to get the right level at that slot, making the probability of encountering a level 100 (or anything from 1-9 and 91-100 for that matter) 1/10,000!!!! This is tougher to find than a shiny Pokemon!!!!!!!
However, there IS a way to catch the elusive, useless except for bragging rights, Level 100 Magikarp with much better odds (1/200), and accomplishing this task is as easy as ordering your party Pokemon.
The abilities Pressure, Hustle, and Vital Spirit work in an interesting way to try and encounter the highest level Pokemon possible. In the grass, it has a 50% chance of encountering the highest level of the Pokemon to be encountered, and in fishing, it has a 50% chance of encountering the highest leveled Pokemon in the level range in the chosen slot. Thus, by leading with a Pokemon with one of these abilities (and believe me, you probably have one, and LEVEL DOESN'T MATTER), you only have to get the first 1/100 chance; then you have a 50/50 shot at the level 100 Magikarp.
Thanks to these abilities, this makes Magikarp from level 1-9 and 91-99 arguably more valuable than the level 100, but the wild level 100 Magikarp is the ruler of the place, right?!
I managed to capture one in about an hour by leading my team with an Absol, and I do have video proof and a video explanation on my channel (shameless self plug =P) Unfortunately, the Magikarp does not merit you any reward when you talk to the swimmer; his dialogue does not change, but you get bragging rights, right?
So happy fishing! Post your findings, any questions, and if I got anything wrong, please correct me!